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OU hands Nebraska a brutal beating on Saturday
With Texas Tech moving to No. 2 in the polls and the annual Bedlam game looming, some OU fans have already begun to look to the end of the season.
But before the Sooners can take on those high-profile opponents, they must first travel to College Station, Texas, to face Texas A&M this weekend.
The Aggies offer a unique challenge, with one of the loudest atmospheres in college football.
Attendance for Aggie home games has ranked No. 14 during the 2008 season with an average of 82,207 people per game. OU ranks No. 10 with an average attendance of 84,858. The Sooners have played in front of large crowds during the year, but none have been as large and loud as A&M’s will be this weekend.
The game’s obstacles are keeping the Sooners focused.
“You know from what I’ve seen the past two days, I don’t think anyone is taking this game lightly,” sophomore quarterback Sam Bradford said. “We know it’s going to be a very hostile environment, it’s a tough place to play, a tough place to win. The last time we were down there we barely got away with a win.”
Bradford’s numbers on the road have improved from last year. In four games last season, Bradford completed 42-of-72 (58 percent) for 550 yards, four touchdowns and four interceptions.
In three games this year, Bradford has completed 54-of-84 (64 percent) for 931 yards, 10 touchdowns and one interception.
“We have been very successful on the road, but you know it all starts in practice,” Bradford said. “I felt like the past two days we’ve had two good days of preparation. They’ve had the music up pretty loud so far, forcing us to communicate and just concentrate more.”
A&M ranks near the middle of the NCAA in total offense with 384 yards per game. The Aggies have been impressive moving the ball through the air, throwing for an average of 273.3 yards, which ranks No. 20 in the nation.
“[The Aggies] are really coming on; you could see in the Colorado game that they are really playing well,” head coach Bob Stoops said. “Their quarterback, Jerrod Johnson, is playing well and he is getting better and more comfortable. He makes good decisions and really limits his mistakes.”
A&M’s biggest weakness has been its defense against the run. Opponents have averaged 202 yards over the course of the year.
Eight of A&M’s nine opponents have rushed for more than 150 yards, and five of those have rushed for more than 200 yards.
The only team to not rush for 150 yards against the Aggies was Texas Tech, which ran for 111 yards.
Despite the sub-par rushing defense, Stoops had good things to say about what the Aggie’s defensive coordinator, Joe Kines, brings to the field.
“[Kines] does a great job and keeps them disciplined and good at what they do,” Stoops said. “Going down to A&M is always an exciting but a challenging thing.”
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dbh 3 years, 6 months ago
Sooners can handle the hostile crowd Kyle believe me it will be sooner magic..
I hear parking around the A&M Stadium is pretty lousy with all those people in attendance.